AirRam Vacuum Cleaner

The Gtech AirRam vacuum cleaner will change the way you vacuum. If you’re tired of heavy vacuums and cords that are too short or keep getting in the way then a cordless vacuum is the answer.

The AirRam is battery powered and has no dust bag to contend with.

Up until now, cordless vacuums have never matched the power of corded vacuums, but the introduction of the AirRam changes that and means that cordless lightweight vacuums are becoming serious contenders to their corded counterparts.

Gtech AirRam Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Review

An unbiased Gtech Air Ram review on video:

More Gtech Air Ram vaccum reviews and what people are saying:

If you have pets: the Gtech AirRam picks up pet hair very well

We currently have a Karcher vacuum and it is HUGE! It takes up almost a whole cupboard and it’s a beast to pick up and move around. The AirRam is neat and compact. The footprint of the AirRam is small and you can hang it up on a wall, perhaps in your utility room, for convenient storage.

The AirRam works well on both carpets and hard floors.

…the handle swivels so that you can easily reach awkward angles, for example the stairs and the low profile means the AirRam vacuum will fit under most sofas and chairs pretty easily.

Who is the Gtech AirRam good for?

It would be good for people who have problems using heavy vacuum cleaners, such as those with back problems. Some vacuum cleaners are so heavy it’s really not fun lugging them around the house and especially up and down stairs.

Talking about stairs, the AirRam is excellent for vacuuming stairs due to it being cordless. Vacuuming stairs with a corded vacuum can be quite perilous – not so with the AirRam.

The AirRam vacuum is good for people with pets because it picks up hair well. The AirRam has a rotating brush that helps to free wedged in hair from carpets and rugs. We have two dogs, it would have to pick up their hair, there is a lot of it!

Because the Gtech AirRam vacuum compresses everything it picks up there is no dust cloud.

This makes this vacuum particularly good for people who suffer from dust allergies or breathing difficulties such as asthma, or for those that simply don’t appreciate the dust cloud created when emptying dust bags / collectors.

I’ve read that there is a little dust left behind but to be honest I’d be surprised if there was none at all. When I empty my old vacuum I have to do it well away from the house because of the dust that flies everywhere!

Gtech are obviously pushing the AirRam for Christmas and although a few vacuums have been sent back they have been replaced quibble free, and free of charge by Gtech. Either buy direct from Gtech or from a reputable seller like Amazon. I read that one person bought one from Ebay and then had a warranty claim that did not get accepted, but what do you expect if you buy from an auction site? The general opinion on Gtech customer service is that it is very good indeed.

AirRam Features

The Gtech AirRam is cordless and runs on a battery.

It can run on a full charge for 40 minutes. Reviews back this up, it’s not an empty claim.

It weighs only 3.5kg – about 8 cans of baked beans.

It comes with a 5 year guarantee (excludes the battery).

AirRam Drawbacks

The AirRam vacuum cleaner is quite noisy, but then lots of vacuums are. Have a listen to the video above to see if it would be too noisy for you.

If the battery died you would need to replace it as this is not covered by the guarantee. Batteries are meant to last around 5 years and replacement batteries cost around £40. I actually think that this isn’t a bad running cost when you compare it to buying bags, filters and belts for other vacuum cleaners. There is always some cost involved in the upkeep of a machine. Do I believe it will last 5 years? Not sure about that one, but let’s halve it, I’d be happy with that.

The “biased” Gtech AirRam Cordless Vacuum Cleaner TV Advert

If you are wondering how to get rid of canker sores then welcome to this page. I get a lot of canker sores as I bite the inside of my cheeks quite a lot when I eat (not the only cause by any means), and I only recently found out thanks to a nursing student friend of mine that the little bumps that appeared had a name! They can also be caused by excess acid in the diet, hormonal inbalances, smoking and even certain toothpastes and mouthwashes (see prevention).

Generally canker sores will go away on their own without any need for treatment but if they are sore or causing discomfort then there are a few things you can try to at least relieve the a little. You can also take preventative measures to stop them appearing in the first place.

How to get rid of canker sores – the ultimate guide including prevention.

Some tips to get rid of canker sores, which are definitely worth trying:

1. Gargle with a solution of warm water and salt – sounds horrible and tastes nasty, believe me. Just gargle, do not swallow! Gargle for around 30 seconds or as long as you can stand then spit out in the sink. Do this twice a day for abut 3 days and see if the sores start to heal and get smaller.

2. You can buy over the counter meds such as lidocaine – this will not speed up the healing of the sore, but it will help alleviate any pain that the sore is causing. Ask you local chemist for this or any alternatives that they can recommend.

3. Grape juice is reported to have beneficial effects on canker sores and to help speed up healing time. This has not been scientifically proven but people have reported seeing benefits. If you like grape juice then you have nothing to lose by trying this. Drink a few cupfuls each day, not to much as juice contains a lot of sugar.

4. Try soaking a cotton wall ball in Pepto Bismol, or similar, and hold it against the sore a few times a day. The alkaline will help reduce the acidity and have a calming effect.

5. Similar to above but using a tea bag. Dampen a tea bag and hold it against the sore. The alkaline nature of the tea bag works in the same way as Pepto Bismol.

Prevention and care

Avoid anything that contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate – specifically toothpaste and mouthwashes as this has been known to make the sores worse.

Be careful when brushing your teeth if you have canker sores – avoid aggravating them by rubbing them with the brush.

Try to avoid foods that may irritate your sore – such as spicy food, or acidic foods like citrus fruit (oranges, lemons and so on).

If you keep biting your sore it runs a risk of becoming infected – persistent pain or redness and a discharge could be signs that the canker sore is becoming infected. If this happens see your doctor who can prescribe you antibiotics after diagnosis. You should also see your doctor is the sores remain after two or three weeks or if you regularly suffer from them. If you develop a fever then seek medical advice also.

If the countdown to Christmas fills you with dread, you are not alone. If like the hundreds and thousands of women out there you are tearing your hair out at having to come up with yet another idea for a gift that is original without costing the earth, then join the club and the never ending quest for unique gifts for men who have everything!

And it isn’t just Christmas either is it? You have to deal with birthdays too, and Valentines…ergh!

Whether it’s your boyfriend, husband, brother or father, men are notoriously difficult to buy for. Women are so much easier to shop for – you can never really go wrong with some favourite perfume or some lovely jewellery. Women just seem to be less demanding – I think that’s because we take more pleasure in the giving than the receiving, don’t you think?

Easy to find unique gifts for men who have everything – show them to me please! Somebody needs to clue the shops up to this problem. They are partly to blame, they know women make up the majority of the shoppers so naturally they gear up their displays and goods for women! Well come on shops, although we like this when we are shopping for ourselves, give us some help when we need to shop for the unfairer sex! Make our quest easier!

To help you in your own quest to find these well hidden unique gifts for men who have everything we have started to compile our own list of ideas that will hopefully give you something to think about.

We might categorise them at some point but this is for starters. If you have your own ideas we’d love to hear them. All prices are correct when I wrote them and if you want to read customer reviews on Amazon then you just need to click each photo.

Unique gifts for men who have everything

TIMEX Ironman Flix 100 Fitness watch

For the sports fanatic or the man who wants to get fit and needs a bit of motivation. I picked this watch for a few reasons. It looks very nice for a start. Some of the fitness watches are so big and bulky that they can’t be comfortable and they just look wrong somehow. Some of them are in awful bright colors, not really very manly. But this one looks good – and it could pass for a normal watch as well so there is no need to keep two watches unless your man wants to. The display is large enough to read at a glance but not so big that is looks like a kids watch. It is water resistant to 330ft so is also ideal for swimmers.

It has got great customer reviews and the price is amazing, it is currently on offer.

For the price this watch has amazing functionality.

• Stopwatch

• Multiple laps – up to 100 – and split timing

• Different timezones

• Light for night time use

• Data log for keeping track of your training history

It’s nicely presented and looks way more expensive than it is.

PRICE: $36.96 RATING: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Golf Ball Gift Set

If playing a few rounds of golf is your man’s idea of fun then treat him to a set of golf balls or tees.

Something like this Callaway Tournament Gift Set which includes 2 Callaway balls, five tees, a ball maker, a quality water bottle and pro-line putt align tool assists.

For around $20 this makes a perfect inexpensive gift, and is presented in a box that is easy to wrap too.

Mr. Beer Premium Gold Edition Beer Kit

For the man who loves beer! Keep him entertained while he learns how to brew his own beer. You can spend a fortune on home brewing kits and some of them are very complicated and so lose their enjoyment. This is for fun, but it produces very decent beer!

It comes with everything that is required to make a few batches of beer and the instructions are simple and clear to follow. Homemade is always better, you just need a man who has the patience to wait for at least 7 days, which is the minimum amount of time that you need to ferment the beer for.

One of the things I really like about this is that the range also includes refill packs for different types of beer, and bottling systems so it can easily be added to in the future if it proves to be a hit.

It is a bestseller on Amazon.

PRICE: $46.60 RATING: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Feeling fruity?

Juicing is not just for women. Men like to take care of themselves too even if they are reluctant to admit it. Skincare for men anyone? Yes it’s as popular as it is for women! Well now they can take care of themselves from the inside with a juicing machine. It’s a gadget after all so that gives it extra brownie points.

This is one of the new juicers from Omega – it will take pretty much anything you throw at it and grind and smash it into submission, giving you a pure healthy juice – awesome for perfecting that physique

PRICE: $329 RATING: 4.7 out of 5 stars

Tompkins Square Backgammon Set

The classic game of backgammon has endured for years. It is one of the oldest board games in history, dating back 5000 years! This is a beautiful leatherette set in shades of brown, in its own case. Perfect for travelling or just easy storage pack it away and fold it up. If you enjoy playing backgammon then you will enjoy it even more on this set.

If you don’t know how to play backgammon, it is a game for 2 players and it is pretty easy to pick up, but some say not easy to become a master of!

The set obviously comes fully equipped with the counters, shakers, dice and doubling cube. You can play for money or just for fun.

PRICE: $49.99 RATING: 4.1 out of 5 stars

WUSTHOF Precision Edge 4 Stage Knife Sharpener

Most men like to cook, even if they never admit it. If the man in your life takes pride in the kitchen he probably has a least one decent kitchen knife. But does he know how to look after it and keep it in good condition? Honing and sharpening your kitchen knives is something you can do at home, and feel like a pro when you do it.

This knife sharpener makes the whole process easy and is suitable for any steel kitchen knife and unlike most sharpeners it can also deal with asian knives (not serrated knives). It takes the guesswork out of getting angles right.

It looks good too.

Idea: Look at quality kitchen knives or knife sets.

PRICE $29.95 RATING: 4.1 out of 5 stars

Homemade gift set

For true originality, why not make up a personalized “gift set”. This idea is only limited by your imagination and can suit any budget and any taste. You could put together a selection of goodies and present them in a gift box or hamper. If they like sports, think about putting together some items such as a sporting DVD / book, sporting equipment and accessories. If they like food, take inspiration from this collection pictured here.

For the partner in your life, print out your own “vouchers” that they can redeem. This could be anything from cooking them a special meal to taking them to the movies…or why not get a little saucy and write your own vouchers to be redeemed in the bedroom – your imagination can run wild with this one

Present the vouchers with some chocolates, their favorite drink or something a little more x-rated!

PRICE: Up to you! Rating: Bound to be 5 out of 5!

(This ready made set is $59.30)

Silverlit Ferrari Enzo (iPod, iPhone, and iPad)

For the gadget lovers, presenting an awesomely fun idea. First of all, who doesn’t want their own red Ferrari? Who doesn’t want a remote control car? And who doesn’t want to be able to control it with their iPhone (or iPad / iPod)? Reviews say the battery life is not good, but seems to be adequate for a few minutes play each day and that’s all these are really for anyway.

The ultimate executive toy, or gift for those that can never afford their own supercar (hands up everyone).

Variations available are a Porsche, Mercedes and helicopter.

PRICE: $67.26 RATING: 4.1 out of 5 stars

Lead Crystal Whiskey Decanter + 6 Glasses (and a tray)

If the man in your life is a whiskey drinker then he will appreciate this smart looking lead crystal decanter set. This set comes with a tray and will look the business in your kitchen or dining area. Some decanter sets can look a bit fussy but the square shape of the decanter helps to add a touch of modernity to this set.

This set comes with 6 glasses but you can also get it with 4 glasses which makes it a bit cheaper.

This idea would equally work for other drinks as well. Think about wine decanters and brandy decanters for example.

Idea: Buy him a bottle of quality whiskey / brandy / wine to go with it.

Again we are looking at the same features and abilities between the Zoomers (apart from Zoomie remember who can do 4 more tricks). The same language capability and the same charging method and charging time – around an hour.

So all we are getting is a new look and in this case a new accessory of a ball.

It seems pretty cool, but when you think about it, most robot dog toys come with some accessory or another, and a ball is a pretty common one.

A Pink Zoomer Dog?

No! Meet Zoomie!

Our pal Zoomer has a new friend, and a GIRLfriend no less! Cheeky boy, he didn’t waste any time did he?!

The new girl on the block is called Zoomie and of course she is pink – to make the boys wink?!

Here she is:

Isn’t she lovely?

We think we might be in love – look at the hearts in her eyes!

Zoomie is a cutey and as well as being able to do everything Zoomer can do, Zoomie can also perform 4 whole new tricks. We’re not sure what these are, but if knew everything, nothing would be a surprise!

She is tri-lingual just like Zoomer.

Dare we day she is a little better looking than Zoomer?! We wonder how the two would play together – SpinMaster say they are friends so they must get on and play nicely.

We think they have come up trumps here with a pink version that every little princess girl is going to be swooning over.

What do you think? We think pink Zoomie is nicer than the purple version and a good choice.

If you want to read more about Zoomie, or buy her and make her yours, then click on the images.

You can buy Zoomie for just $103 HERE - very low stock at time of writing

Christmas is coming and we’re in the market for treating ourselves to a new television! And not just any old television but we’re promised our Scally selves a Smart TV. Up until now we had resisted all the fuss, but having seen friends use their Smart TVs for watching movies, playing games and Skyping (<— that’s what really sold it, we have family abroad) we have decided to get on the bandwagon as well. There is nothing wrong with getting on the bandwagon late, we’re pretty good at doing that, but what do we get? The same product as everyone else got a few years ago for half the price! Good strategy huh?

Our current TV (not Smart obviously) is a Samsung 28″ – how small we hear you say? OK, yes it’s baby one compared to these days standards but too much bigger and it would be as wide as our living room. Haha well not quite, but really, not far off The Samsung has been great but it’s now showing its edge with lack of features and wide bezel.

We looked at replacing it with another Samsung, specifically the UN32F6300 because we REALLY liked the silver and really thin bezel, and the shape of the stand. We came so close to buying this but were put of by the price. $600 That is a lot of bucks to spend on a 32″ screen, or so we thought. And looking at it closer that was the reduced price. So we carried on looking and are now looking at the range of Vizio Smart TVs. We’d heard of them but not come across them too much, but they seem REALLY popular. And what’s more the prices seem awesomely amazingly low!

We only really have a couple of requirements – 32″ (so it fits in our small room) but with a thin bezel could we get away with 39″ I said. NO! I was told. What’s 7″ between friends I said?! Ok, well I will work on that, haha.

So – the size, the thin surround, the Smart facility and obviously a good picture. We have a surround sound system already (thanks Pops!) so sound isn’t an issue.

So now we have our sights set on this – the Vizio E320i-A2 – or the Vizio E390i-A1 if I get my way. Vizio is an all American brand and that happens to be a plus for me as well, I like supporting home grown goods.

It’s currently $288 (good right?) on Amazon and has lots of really good reviews – over 2,000 reviews! And the majority are 4 stars or over. Taking into account the poorer reviews, this still comes out on top for us. Nothing is ever perfect for everybody anyway.

What do you think? Have you had a Vizio TV before? Do you have any other recommendations? Should we get the 39″ instead?!

Alli Reviews – Does Alli really work?

Who wouldn’t like a quick fix to lose weight easily, with minimal effort and maximum results? Christmas is coming up and I know I for one would like to drop a dress size. But recently, spending more and more time at the computer means my exercise regime is slowly heading out of the window, one slightly overweight limb at a time.

Alli diet pills

Alli diet pills are the only FDA approved diet pills that are available over the counter. Alli is designed to treat obesity in adults and there have been mixed reviews following their use although studies show that Alli does help people to lose a bit more weight than they normally would through diet and exercise alone.

Alli (pronounced AL-eye) is the same drug as Xenical (Orlistat) but in a reduced strength which is why it is approved for over the counter and online sale.

It is only approved for sale in this way to adults aged 18 years and over, so how this is policed when it can be bought online is debatable, but in theory people under 18 will not have access to payment methods.

How does Alli work?

Alli diet pills work by blocking your body’s absorption of fat, which in turn reduces the amount of calories that your body absorbs. The fat that is blocked by Alli travels through your intestinal gut before eventually being eliminated through your normal bowel movements!

Alli blocks around 25% of the fat that you take in.

You can take Alli up to three times a day, and you should take it along with meals that contain less than 15g of fat.

It is important to note that Alli diet pills are NOT a miracle drug – it might work for you, but only if you follow a sensible diet and exercise routine at the same time. This is not the drug for you if you want to carry on eating all the chocolate in the shop and still lose weight. If anyone knows of THAT drug, let me know

Alli Side Effects

Due to Alli diet pills ability to block fat absorption, you might find it useful to supplement your diet with Vitamins A, D, E and K while you are taking Alli, because these are fat soluble vitamins.

The most widely reported side effect while using Alli diet pills is changes in bowel movements such as loose stools. This normally occurs in the first few weeks and then generally goes away as your body adapts.

You should speak to your doctor if you are at all concerned about any side effects, and it is probably best to speak to you doctor before starting taking Alli diet pills.

DO NOT take Alli if:

You are pregnant or breastfeeding.

You are on the drug cyclosporine.

You have had an organ transplant.

You are not overweight.

Other side effects may include:

Becoming quite gassy

Oil in your stools or underwear

Stomach pain

Bowel movements become difficult to control

Very rarely, Alli diet pills have been associated with liver damage, but normally in those who were on the prescription strength does. The symptoms of this include general weakness, stomach pain and jaundice (skin yellowing). If you experience these symptons while taking Alli diet pills, go to the doctor or hospital straight away.

Familiarize yourself with the instructions that come with Alli diet pills before starting them.

Welcome to my page about Brain School Plastic Puzzle solutions. I was looking for a brain training game recently and came across Brain School. It’s a progressive type game in that you need to reach a certain level before you can move on to the next stage. It is based on years, you start in year 1 and then after passing an end of year test you move on to year 2, and so forth.

The different types of game are “Magic Hats”, “Heavier, Heaviest”, “Simple Sums”, “Plastic Puzzle” and “Shape Maths”.

Plastic Puzzle has really grabbed me, but it’s really hard!! I have just started level 4 – “very hard” and it is! I’m stuck on the first one at the moment.

Do you play this game? Do you have any Plastic Puzzle solutions?

If you want solutions to the earlier levels let me know in the comments section and I will do my best to help.

Update: I cracked level 4! just completed it and took some screenshots as I went, so if you want some help – I won’t give it all away – speak up!

One of our little girls wants a robot dog for Christmas. Well when I say robot dog, I mean she wants a real life hair producing, saliva slobbering, money eating, barking, peeing in the house type dog. Which has been conveniently interpreted into “So you’d like a robot dog toy sweetheart?”.

We’ve been looking into them and there are quite a few to choose from. The most popular ones seem to be one called Teksta and another called Zoomer. It’s pretty cool what the robot dogs / electronic dogs can do now. They seem to be pretty flexible with their movements and commands that they can follow.

See this website Toy Robots Review for much more detail and information.

What most impressed us about Teksta was that he can flip over. That would be good, but the cynic in me thinks, “yeah , right”.

The other close contender, at the moment, is Zoomer the robot dog. He was edging it as far as looks go, but when I found out that he can understand Spanish as well as English that kind of swung it for me. We speak some Spanish and anything that might encourage further learning is ok in my books. Plus, he is somewhat sweet looking. For a plastic toy dog.

Notice we chose a picture of Zoomer cocking his leg. Being the big kids that we are, we think that’s funny. Zoomer can also be bought in a purple version which we do not like. He can also be bought with his own hoody which we do like, apart from the fact it has Zoomer written on it. Kind of adverse to that kind of branding but at least you can take the hoody off.

Afflicted by the scurvy? Not us!

Well we have been called some things in our time but “scurvy”? Not sure about that one. We wanted something to liven the site up a little and this made us smile a little, okay it is silly, but a brief bit of sillyness nonetheless.

We were going to do our first review on this but were disappointed to find out that it is not available on Android yet. Someone correct us if we are wrong!

I guess that’s a review – it’s not a good one, but it’s a point to be made all the same. For those of us that are not Apple devotees and choose to think outside of the apple shaped box, why do we sometimes feel like we are missing out on some things – this game is obviously a small and unimportant example, but it shows the point. Right?